The development of new towns in the New Territories continued in 2005. Railway development has added convenient mass transit connections between the new towns and the urban areas. The new town of Tseung Kwan O has been served by the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Tseung Kwan O line since August 2002. The Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) West Rail, which opened in December 2003, links the new towns of Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun with West Kowloon. The Ma On Shan Rail, which connects Wu Kai Sha in Ma On Shan with Tai Wai in Sha Tin and has a total length of about 11.4 kilometres, was opened in December 2004.

Engineering design and construction work on land formation and the infrastructure for developments are overseen and coordinated by the Civil Engineering and Development Department.

Landscape Design and the Natural Environment

Extensive landscape works continued during the year in conjunction with new developments, providing green surroundings for new neighbourhoods. Trees were planted along roadsides to provide shade and colour, and sitting-out areas and walkways were provided for the enjoyment of the public. Ecological restoration work has also been carried out, in accordance with environmental impact assessment study recommendations, to mitigate the impact of engineering works.

Apart from the tree planting associated with new developments, the large-scale afforestation programme continued in the hinterland of the new towns and urban development areas, reducing soil erosion due to water run-off from hillsides, preventing siltation of drainage systems and enhancing the countryside. More than 10 million trees and shrubs have been planted over the last five years, with about 2.5 million planted in 2005.

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan new town embraces Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island and covers, in total, an area of about 3 285 hectares. It has a planned population of about 857 100.

Tsuen Wan used to be an industrial area and, although most of the factories have been relocated to the Mainland, the area still retains its character as an industrial hub. The new town has Hong Kong's nine container terminals in its midst in Kwai Tsing, the latest of which was completed in 2005.

Major highway projects are being constructed to further extend and reinforce the main road network to cater for the increased traffic in the area. Construction of part of Route 8 between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan, and the remaining section of Route 9 between Shek Wai Kok and Chai Wan Kok are in progress and targeted for completion in 2008 and mid 2006 respectively.

Sha Tin

Sha Tin new town embraces Sha Tin and Ma On Shan and covers an area of about 3 591 hectares. It has a planned population of about 735 000.

The new town has a well-established external transport network comprising the Kowloon-Canton Railway, Ma On Shan Rail, Lion Rock Tunnel, Tai Po Road, Tolo Highway, Sai Sha Road, Shing Mun Tunnel and Tate's Cairn Tunnel.

The external road links to and from Sha Tin are being expanded. Sections of Route 8, which include Sha Tin Heights Tunnel and Eagle Nest Tunnel, will link Sha Tin to Cheung Sha Wan and connect to Trunk Road T3. All works including T3 are under construction and targeted for completion in 2007.

Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun new town in the western New Territories is built mainly on land reclaimed from Castle Peak Bay and on platforms in the valley between Castle Peak and the Tai Lam Hills. It covers an area of about 2 253 hectares. The new town's planned population is about 595 000.

Hong Kong's River Trade Terminal was built on reclamation in the southwest part of the new town and operates as a transit point for containers and bulk cargo shipped between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta ports. The adjacent reclamation is used for special industries and the completed Lung Fu Road (Foothill Bypass) caters for the increased traffic demand associated with the developments there.

The new town is served by a good external road network including Tuen Mun Road, Castle Peak Road and Yuen Long Highway. Rail links include the West Rail and the Light Rail.

Tai Po

Tai Po has grown from a small market town into a new town covering an area of about 2 509 hectares. The planned population of the new town is about 301 900.

The Pak Shek Kok development, which covers an area of 118 hectares north of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, includes a Science Park, housing, strategic recreation and tertiary education expansion. Reclamation has been completed and construction of the infrastructure work for the various phases of the Science Park is in progress.

The new town has a well-established external transport network consisting of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, Tolo Highway, Fanling Highway, Tai Po Road and Lam Kam Road. Improvement works of the entire length of the Ting Kok Road were completed in early 2005.

Fanling and Sheung Shui

Fanling and Sheung Shui are former traditional market towns which have become a single new town of about 780 hectares. The new town's planned population is 279 000.

Fanling and Sheung Shui are served by the East Rail and external road links to adjacent districts and beyond, including Fanling Highway, Fan Kam Road, Man Kam To Road and Sha Tau Kok Road.

The total development area is about 780 hectares. Major flood control projects for the River Indus have been completed.

Yuen Long

Yuen Long new town has a planned population of about 231 500. It covers an area of about 561 hectares.

The new town is served by the West Rail, the Light Rail and a good trunk road network system, including Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long Highway and Tsing Long Highway, which links with the adjacent districts and the urban areas beyond. To cope with future development in the southern part of Yuen Long, a new road network is being constructed.

The river training works on Kam Tin River and the Ngau Tam Mei Catchment have prevented flooding in the area while work on the San Tin Eastern Main Drainage Channel and the Yuen Long Bypass Floodway is in progress and is expected to be completed in 2006.

Tseung Kwan O

Tseung Kwan O new town has a planned population of around 470 000. It covers an area of about 1 738 hectares.

The new town has a well-established external road network comprising the Tsueng Kwan O Tunnel, Po Lam Road and Clear Water Bay Road. The Tseung Kwan O — Lam Tin Tunnel is in the planning stage. The new town is also served by the MTR Tseung Kwan O extension.

The Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate is in the southeast part of the new town. About 95 hectares of land has been prepared for the development of high-technology industries or industries requiring a large area. A further 104 hectares is reserved for further industrial developments and possible potentially hazardous installations.

Future development in the Town Centre South will feature extensive park and recreational facilities by the waterfront. Implementation of the supporting infrastructure is in hand.

Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai was built on 430 hectares of land reclaimed from low lying areas off Deep Bay. The new town's planned population is around 306 400. An International Wetland Park has been built close to the new town and will be opened in 2006.

West Rail, Light Rail and the trunk road network of Castle Peak Road and Yuen Long Highway provide good connections to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun and to the urban areas beyond.

Tung Chung

Construction works for Phase 1 of Tung Chung new town were completed in 1997, providing facilities for an initial community of around 18 000. Engineering works for the Phase 2 development were completed in 2001 to serve an intended population of about 69 000. Reclamation for Phase 3A, which can accommodate a population of 21 000, was completed in early 2004. In 2005, the population rose to more than 60 000. Further studies will be conducted to review and establish the feasibility of the further development in Tung Chung to accommodate an overall target population of about 220 000. The study will start in 2006 for completion in 2008.

The new town is linked to the rest of Hong Kong by the North Lantau Highway and the high-speed Airport/Tung Chung Railway.

In December 2003, the Government granted a franchise to the MTR Corporation Limited for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a cable-car system linking Tung Chung and Ngong Ping. When it is completed in mid-2006, it is expected to become an important tourism facility.

A feasibility study for the development of a Logistics Park nearby started in February 2005 and will be completed by 2006.

Northeast New Territories and Northwest New Territories New Development

Planning and development studies have established the feasibility of developing — as New Development Areas in the Northeast New Territories — 500 hectares in Kwu Tung North to house some 100 000 people and 200 hectares in Fanling North to house 80 000. In the Northwest New Territories, Hung Shui Kiu could accommodate a population of about 160 000 on a development area of about 450 hectares. The development of these New Development Areas will be triggered by future demand.

Lantau Development

A Concept Plan for Lantau has been drawn up by the Lantau Development Task Force to provide a coherent and balanced planning framework for the future development of the island. A few key development themes and proposals were identified and released for public consultation between the end November 2004 and the end February 2005. The response has been positive and a public consultation report summarising the public comments and the Administration's responses was published in November 2005. The Concept Plan will be revised where appropriate to take into account public comment.